Nine medals for Able2 athletes

Four swimmers from Able2 Pontefract sports club are celebrating after picking up medals in the 2017 British Learning Disability Swimming Championships.

Oliver Peace, Sarah Shutt, Thomas Raddings and Charlie Clarke were among more than 200 other swimmers to compete in the annual championships, hosted by MENCAP Sport and Special Olympics Great Britain, in Leeds.

For 14-year-old Charlie, it was his first competition and he claimed a well-deserved bronze medal after beating his personal best time in the 50m freestyle. He was also selected to race against Paralympic gold medallist, Jessica-Jane Applegate.

Mr Peace, 24, from Upton, took gold in the 25m backstroke final to become National Champion with a new personal best time. He also won silver medals in 25m and 100m breaststroke as well as a bronze in his third breaststroke event, the 50m race. It was the first time Mr Peace, who has autism, has picked up a national win in backstroke, having previously claimed national titles in breaststroke.

He said: “I was so pleased to win in backstroke, my coach has been helping me to go faster and faster.”

Miss Shutt, 42, from Featherstone, who holds several Down Syndrome world swimming records, picked up silver in 25m freestyle and bronze in the 50m freestyle while Mr Raddings, 19, from Ackworth, claimed bronze medals in both 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle events.

The four will now join seven other Able2 athletes, as part of the Yorkshire and Humberside Special Olympics team, when they compete at the Special Olympics National Summer Games in Sheffield in August.